The Scoop: Labor Day Weekend Produced Impressive XC Results

Sep 05, 2022

Make Room For South Dakota: Midwest Athletes Emerge At Augustana Twilight

- - -

Last Friday, athletes showed up to the Augustana XC Twilight at Yankton Trail Park ready to race under the lights in a high-energy environment optimal for fast racing.

Sioux Falls, S.D. hosted an event worthy of national recognition thanks to national-caliber performances from athletes hailing from the Midwest.

Leading the way was Natnael Kifle (Sioux City North, IA), who traveled across state lines from Iowa to South Dakota to take on the field at the Augustana Twilight, and he returned home with a varsity boys championship title. 15:00.28 for Kifle dropped a chunk off of his previous 5k all-time best of 15:31.30.

But not too far behind was Belle Fourche (SD) senior Sawyer Clarkson, who ran a nearly 20-second personal best of 15:02.93 to finish just off the mark in second place.

According to the MileSplit database, that run from Clarkson ranks as the fourth-fastest 5k cross country performance among South Dakota boys in state history.

Coming in hot for third was Norfolk (NE) junior Isaac Ochoa, opening up his season of racing with a 15:06.93 personal record.

Kifle, Clarkson and Ochoa all had performances that correlate with elite-level speed ratings, especially for an early-season race. Those times of 15:00.28, 15:02.93 and 15:06.93 make for speed ratings of 184, 183 and 182, respectively.

In the girls field, another South Dakota athlete shined in the spotlight --- Ali Bainbridge, the senior from Sioux Falls Lincoln. Her winning time of 17:18.21 garnered a solid 140 speed rating and earned her a title in her first race of the season. Looking at the MileSplit database, that ranks as the fastest 5k cross country performance from a South Dakota girl.

Behind two historic performances from South Dakota athletes, the Augustana Twilight meet did not disappoint, and points to a strong distance running community in the state and Midwest region.